Monday, October 29, 2007

Computers for our children

I’ve been inundated by queries from people all over the country wanting to know more about the revolutionary US$100 laptop for children that is becoming a big hit in developing countries all over the world.

To these many people, and especially the wonderful (and forgotten) children of Papua New Guinea, contact details of the producer of this technological marvel are provided below as our government and relevant authorities seem to be working at a snail’s pace for our children to reap the benefits.

It comes at a time when Papua New Guinea is struggling to bridge the digital divide and make computers affordable and accessible to our children.

The "US$100 laptop," a product five years in the making, is right now taking off in a big way in developing countries of the world including neighbouring Solomon Islands.

The XO laptop, as it's officially called, is produced by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Foundation, a nonprofit organisation founded by Nicholas Negroponte, who also founded the MIT Media Lab.

The OLPC says that the XO laptop offers children a sense of ownership and ensures that they're no longer dependent on a corrupt or inept government to provide educational opportunities.

The OLPC Foundation aims to provide these laptops to millions of children throughout the developing world in order to improve their education and their quality of life.

The XO laptop was designed to be lightweight, cheap and adaptable to the conditions of the developing world.

While a US$100 laptop is the goal, as of September 2007, the laptop costs about US$188.

Originally the OLPC Foundation said that governments must buy the laptop in batches of 25,000 to distribute to their citizens, but a new program will soon allow private citizens to purchase an XO.

Starting November 12, 2007, the Give 1 Get 1 (G1G1) program will allow U.S. residents to pay US$399 to buy two XO laptops - one for the purchaser and one for a child in need in a foreign country.

“Most of the nearly two–billion children in the developing world are inadequately educated, or receive no education at all,” the OLPC Foundation says on its website http://www.laptopfoundation.org/.

“One in three does not complete the fifth grade.

“The individual and societal consequences of this chronic global crisis are profound.

“Children are consigned to poverty and isolation—just like their parents—never knowing what the light of learning could mean in their lives.

“At the same time, their governments struggle to compete in a rapidly evolving, global information economy, hobbled by a vast and increasingly urban underclass that cannot support itself, much less contribute to the commonweal, because it lacks the tools to do so.

“It is time to rethink this equation.

“Given the resources that poor countries can reasonably allocate to education—sometimes less than $20 per year per pupil, compared to the approximately $7500 per pupil spent annually in the U.S.—even a doubled or redoubled national commitment to traditional education, augmented by external and private funding, would not get the job done.

“Moreover, experience strongly suggests that an incremental increase of ‘more of the same’—building schools, hiring teachers, buying books and equipment—is a laudable but insufficient response to the problem of bringing true learning possibilities to the vast numbers of children in the developing world.

“Standing still is a reliable recipe for going backward.

“Any nation's most precious natural resource is its children.

“We believe the emerging world must leverage this resource by tapping into the children's innate capacities to learn, share, and create on their own.

“Our answer to that challenge is the XO laptop, a children's machine designed for ‘learning learning’.

“XO embodies the theories of constructionism first developed by MIT Media Lab Professor Seymour Papert in the 1960s, and later elaborated upon by Alan Kay, complemented by the principles articulated by Nicholas Negroponte in his book, Being Digital.

“Extensively field-tested and validated among some of the poorest and most remote populations on earth, constructionism emphasises what Papert calls ‘learning learning’ as the fundamental educational experience.

“A computer uniquely fosters learning learning by allowing children to ‘think about thinking’, in ways that are otherwise impossible.

“Using the XO as both their window on the world, as well as a highly programmable tool for exploring it, children in emerging nations will be opened to both illimitable knowledge and to their own creative and problem-solving potential.

“OLPC is not, at heart, a technology program, nor is the XO a product in any conventional sense of the word.

“OLPC is a non-profit organisation providing a means to an end—an end that sees children in even the most remote regions of the globe being given the opportunity to tap into their own potential, to be exposed to a whole world of ideas, and to contribute to a more productive and saner world community.”

If you want to get in touch with OLPC, you can write to:One Laptop per ChildP.O. Box 425087Cambridge, MA 02142U.S.A.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The National recently ran an exciting news story about “US$100 laptop” computers being made available to children in the neighbouring Solomon Islands.

It caught my attention, and that of many other Papua New Guineans, especially at a time when our country is struggling to bridge the digital divide and make computers affordable and accessible to our children.

The "US$100 laptop," a product five years in the making, is right now taking off in a big way in developing countries of the world including the Solomon Islands.

The XO laptop, as it's officially called, is produced by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Foundation, a nonprofit organisation founded by Nicholas Negroponte, who also founded the MIT Media Lab.

Why give a child a laptop when he might need food, water, electricity or other basic amenities?

To that, the OLPC says that the XO laptop offers children a sense of ownership and ensures that they're no longer dependent on a corrupt or inept government to provide educational opportunities.

The computer is a powerful tool for learning and collaboration, exposing children to a wealth of knowledge and providing opportunities that they would not normally have.

It also replaces the need for textbooks, which are expensive, easily damaged and less interactive.

In many parts of the developing world, people live in large family groupings.

The XO laptop allows children, parents, grandparents and cousins to teach each other.

In some communities with limited electricity, children have used the laptop's bright screen as a light.

The OLPC Foundation aims to provide these laptops to millions of children throughout the developing world in order to improve their education and their quality of life.

The XO laptop was designed to be lightweight, cheap and adaptable to the conditions of the developing world.

While a US$100 laptop is the goal, as of September 2007, the laptop costs about US$188.

Originally the OLPC Foundation said that governments must buy the laptop in batches of 25,000 to distribute to their citizens, but a new program will soon allow private citizens to purchase an XO.

Starting November 12, 2007, the Give 1 Get 1 (G1G1) program will allow U.S. residents to pay US$399 to buy two XO laptops - one for the purchaser and one for a child in need in a foreign country.

The program's initial run will last two weeks.

To start, laptops purchased through this program will be given to children in Afghanistan, Haiti, Rwanda and Cambodia.

More laptops should be available for sale in the future, and more developing nations will be able to apply to join the G1G1 plan.

As of September 2007, about 7,000 laptops were being tested by children around the world.

Many governments have expressed interest in the laptop or verbally committed to buying it, but Negroponte said that some haven't followed through on their promises.

Still, enough computers were ordered - observers estimated more than three million - that full-scale production began in July 2007.

The XO laptop's design emphasises cheap, durable construction that can survive a variety of climates and the rigors of the developing world.

The machine can withstand dirt, scratches, impact and water while also providing long battery life.

Every feature is carefully engineered to conform to these standards and to minimise the need for maintenance.

To that end, the XO laptop has no moving parts - no hard drive with spinning platters, no cooling fans, no optical drive.

Unlike most commercially available laptops, the XO's display is readable in full sunlight.

Users can switch between color and black-and-white viewing modes to save energy.

The screen "swivels" around, making the computer into a tablet or e-book.

The 433 Mhz AMD processor and 256 megabytes of SDRAM are unimpressive by today's standards, but the XO has ample speed to run its lightweight, no-frills software.

The XO's processor is designed to be energy efficient, and several devices are available to recharge the battery, including an electrical adapter, hand crank, foot-pedal and solar-powered charger.

Rather than a traditional hard drive, the XO has a 1 gigabyte flash drive, similar to what's used in USB thumb drives, the iPod nano and digital camera memory.

Google will provide online storage services, and some communities or schools will have servers with large amounts of hard drive space.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Are you one of the many young Papua New Guineans who has always dreamed of having his or her own radio show?

Are you a recording artist hoping to have your songs heard by the masses?

In the old days, you would have needed to know a lot of people in the right places - or have lots of money - to get heard.

But now, thanks to the Internet and its instantaneous connection to millions of people, your dreams can become reality.

You can also create video Podcasts - also called videocasts, vidcasts and vodcasts - which combine the audio component of Podcasting with visual media.

Just as Blogging has enabled almost anyone with a computer to become a bona fide reporter, Podcasting allows virtually anyone with a computer to become a radio disc jockey, talk show host or recording artist.

Although Podcasting first found popularity within the techie set in developed countries of the world, it has since caught on with the general public.

Log on to one of several Podcast sites on the Web, and you can download content ranging from music to philosophy to sports.

Podcasting combines the freedom of Blogging with digital audio technology to create an almost endless supply of content.

Some say this new technology is democratising the once corporate-run world of radio.

Podcasting is a free service that allows Internet users to pull audio files (typically MP3s) from a Podcasting Web site to listen to on their computers or personal digital audio players.

The term comes from a combination of the words iPod (a personal digital audio player made by Apple) and broadcasting.

Even though the term is derived from the iPod, you don't need an iPod to listen to a Podcast.

You can use virtually any portable media player or your computer.

Unlike Internet radio, users don't have to “tune in” to a particular broadcast.

Instead, they download the Podcast on demand or subscribe via an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, which automatically downloads the Podcast to their computers.

The technology is similar to that used by TiVo, a personal video recorder that lets users set which programs they'd like to record and then automatically records those programs for later viewing.

Podcasting was developed in 2004 by former MTV video jockey Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer.

Curry wrote a program, called iPodder, that enabled him to automatically download Internet radio broadcasts to his iPod.

Several developers improved upon his idea, and Podcasting was officially born.

Curry now hosts a show called The Daily Source Code, one of the most popular Podcasts on the Internet.

Right now, Podcasting is free from government regulation.

Podcasters don't need to buy a license to broadcast their programming, as radio stations do, and they don't need to conform to the US Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) broadcast decency regulations.

Podcasters can copyright or license their work - Creative Commons is just one online resource for copyrights and licenses.

Although several corporations and big broadcast companies have ventured into the medium, many Podcasters are amateurs broadcasting from home studios.

Because Podcasters don't rely on ratings as radio broadcasters do, the subject matter of Podcasts can range from the refined to the silly to the excruciatingly mundane.

Podcasters typically cater to a niche group of listeners.

By Podcasting consistently on one subject, Podcasters not only assert their expertise on the subject matter but also draw a loyal and devoted group of listeners.

Podcasts are also used for informational and educational purposes -- self-guided walking tours, talk shows and training are all available through podcasting, according to Podcasting Tools.

Several companies are trying to turn Podcasting into a profitable business.

It is very easy to listen to a Podcast.

Once you master a few simple steps and search techniques, there are virtually no limits to what you can hear.

Recording a Podcast is almost as easy as listening to one.

Here's how the process works:

Plug a microphone into your computer ;Install an audio recorder for Windows, Mac or Linux (free software for audio recorders includes Audacity, Record for All and Easy Recorder V5);Create an audio file by making a recording (you can talk, sing or record music) and saving it to your computer;Finally, upload the audio file to one of the Podcasting sites (FeedForAll has a tutorial on how to upload a file).

Some experts say Podcasting still has a long way to go before it catches on with the masses, but its growing popularity is undeniable.

It's possible that Podcasting will eventually become as popular as text blogging, which grew from a few thousand blogs in the late '90s to more than 7 million today.

Some Pod Casts are already providing thousand of downloads a day, and they're not just entertaining their listeners - they’re also doing business.

Back home, in a rare opportunity for local industry, business, students and for Papua New Guinea, the first-ever Datec Technology Expo today (Friday October 12) and tomorrow at the Crowne Plaza in Port Moresby will bring together everything technological to create PNG’s largest and most dynamic information and communication exhibition.

More than 35 international technology organisations will exhibit at the expo and many of those have taken up the offer to conduct seminars on their products and services.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Making free phone calls over the Internet

Since Arthur Somare, Patrick Tammur and the National Alliance-led government seem to be so keen on maintaining the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) monopoly, Papua New Guineans should be looking at other options to cheaply make telephone calls and use the Internet.

One of these options, which will be discussed in this week’s column, is using the Internet to make cheaper telephone calls, thereby, bypassing Telikom and the expensive charges it has inflicted on us over the last 30 years.

Many Internet-savvy Papua New Guineans already make free long-distance computer-to-computer calls over the Internet using free software such as Skype.

In theory, Papua New Guinea should by now be on par with the rest of the world in ICT, however, the reality is we are still living in the “Stone Age” in the age of the Flintstones.

All over this increasingly-globalised world, a massive Information Revolution is taking place as economies use ICT as a passport to what economists call the “New Economy”.

I have said before, and will say it again, that the ICT monopoly in PNG, exorbitant telephone and Internet costs, as well as lack of knowledge about ICT and e-business all contribute to this digital divide.

Papua New Guinea will continue to remain light years behind the rest of the world if we do not jump on the ICT bandwagon in this globalised world.

Access to Internet, adequate infrastructure, human capacity building and appropriate policies on ICT are central issues in addressing the digital divide.

Success in this globalised world is predicated on ICT knowledge and successful knowledge-based economies will be based on the efficient and widespread use of ICT by all sectors within any given country.

If you've never heard of VoIP, get ready to change the way you think about long-distance phone calls.

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method for taking analog audio signals, like the kind you hear when you talk on the phone, and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet.

How is this useful? VoIP can turn a standard Internet connection into a way to place free phone calls.

The practical upshot of this is that by using some of the free VoIP software that is available to make Internet phone calls, you are bypassing Telikom (and its exorbitant charges) entirely.

VoIP is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to completely rework the world's phone systems.

VoIP is already in widespread use in many developed countries of the world including Singapore, where I called my wife’s cell phone in Port Moresby and had a long chat with her over the Internet, in August.

Today, VoIP technology is allowing small businesses to secure the features and functionality of a sophisticated phone system for a fraction of the cost by using the Internet to carry voice traffic just as it does data traffic.

Above all else, VoIP is basically a clever "reinvention of the wheel."

The potential of this emerging technology - which will more than likely one day replace the traditional phone system entirely – is limitless.

The interesting thing about VoIP is that there is not just one way to place a call.

There are three different "flavors" of VoIP service in common use today:

ATA - The simplest and most common way is through the use of a device called an ATA (analog telephone adaptor).

The ATA allows you to connect a standard phone to your computer or your Internet connection for use with VoIP.

The ATA is an analog-to-digital converter.

It takes the analog signal from your traditional phone and converts it into digital data for transmission over the Internet.

You simply crack the ATA out of the box, plug the cable from your phone that would normally go in the wall socket into the ATA, and you're ready to make VoIP calls.

Some ATAs may ship with additional software that is loaded onto the host computer to configure it; but in any case, it is a very straightforward setup.

IP Phones - These specialised phones look just like normal phones with a handset, cradle and buttons.

But instead of having the standard RJ-11 phone connectors, IP phones have an RJ-45 Ethernet connector.

IP phones connect directly to your router and have all the hardware and software necessary right onboard to handle the IP call.

Developments in Information Technology (IT) can be intimidating for SMEs, and e-marketplaces are a mystery for many.

But you often need only a minimal turnover to participate.

So why join an e-marketplace?

Large organisations expect suppliers to be available at these marketplaces.

They open up competition across geographic boundaries, creating greater competition.

More opportunities but potentially more competition in your own region.

Advantages of e-marketplaces include:Access wider range of buyers/suppliers;Faster purchase decisions;Potential for partnerships;Communication/administration flexibility;24/7 convenience;Access to information;Improved customer service;Dynamic updating of information;Lower search and transaction costs;Opportunity to differentiate from competitors in the same marketplace; andEnter supply chain of larger firms.

Barriers of entry for SMEs include:Lack of resources/knowledge;Low IT skill level for many SMEs;Lack of trust in the online world;Lack of e-commerce readiness;Lack of awareness of the benefits of e-marketplaces;Lack of support from market makers;Lack of industry/technological standards;Understanding importance of integrating into larger supply chains;Low web usage of buyers within an industry;Short-term focus on benefits;Difficulties in global trading (language/customs etc); andFinancial constraints (offering credit terms etc).

Both buyers and sellers have complained about crowding out of small local dealers, poor quality supplies, limited assistance by the e-marketplace in follow-up operations, insufficient specifications of technical features in bids; and unclear requirements for participation in auctions.

In sum, unrealistic short-term expectations are likely to lead to disappointment, effective planning of a participation strategy is important, and specific and realistic objectives should be set if an SME is to realise benefits.

I leave you with this letter from a good lady friend studying in Canberra, Australia: “Bro, good to know that you're doing all you can to publicise the IT world issue.

“I still stand on my point that leaders should be well educated...particularly on "Development Issues" in order for them to understand what you and I are talking about.

“I believe that it's their lack of knowledge about how essential it is (during this era) in terms of what goes on in the rest of the world that makes the rest of us suffer.

“I am learning a lot of good stuff about IT here at the University of Canberra but when I return to PNG, there is NO WAY...NO WAY I will be able to implement it effectively simply because the technology is not there.

“I dread the day I will return if you know what I mean.

“In terms of education, when my son was in Grade 1 at Goroka International School I was so amazed when he taught me how to use some programs that I had on my computer which I had no idea about.

“IEA (International Education Agency) introduces their students to the IT world as early as Early Childhood years, something that National Department of Education really needs to look into seriously.”

Achievements

Winner of the 2011 UNESCO/Divine Word University Award for Communication and Development.Archived in National Library of Australia PANDORA Archive. 1 million hits as of Friday, November 16, 2012; 2 million hits as of Monday, July 14, 2014; and growing...No. 1 Blog in Papua New Guinea